9 posts from February 2007

The countdown to Opening Day has reached the five-week mark. Sometime during that span, the Phillies will decide who receives the honor of starting April 2 against Atlanta. Manager Charlie Manuel has yet to tip his hand, but the guess here is he will choose Freddy Garcia or Brett Myers.

While the Phillies wait to settle on an Opening Day starter, Atlanta manager Bobby Cox has already tabbed John Smoltz for the April 2 game at Citizens Bank Park. Smoltz is 13-12 with a 3.53 ERA in 62 career games (33 starts) against the Phillies. He posted a 3.86 ERA in two starts against the Phils last year but didn't record a decision.

The Phillies are now two days away from the first game of the spring, an exhibition date Wednesday with Florida State University. The Phillies plan to use a lot of pitchers in the game, with 2006 first-round pick Kyle Drabek slated for the start. John Ennis, Jim Ed Warden, Joe Bisenius, Ryan Cameron, Jeff Farnsworth and Alfredo Simon are also scheduled to pitch.

Warden, Bisenius and Simon all bear watching. Bisenius has an outside chance to nab a spot in the Phillies' bullpen after a strong 2006 season at high Single-A Clearwater and Double-A Reading. Warden and Simon were both picked in the Rule 5 Draft and would have to remain on the major league roster all season if they make the team.

One other note: Florida State will use wood bats in the game, not the aluminum bats they use during NCAA play.

When shortstop Jimmy Rollins claimed again Tuesday that the Phillies are the team to beat in the National League East, a retort from New York, where the Mets are the reigning division champions, was sure to follow. It arrived Wednesday, when Mets beat writers solicited responses to Rollins' words.

David Lennon, the Mets' beat writer for Newsday, a sister paper of The Morning Call, did a nice job of canvassing the Mets' clubhouse in this story. If you don't have a chance to read the entire story, here are a few of the Mets' responses to Rollins' words, pulled from Lennon's story.

Said Mets closer and former Phillie Billy Wagner: "Our motivation isn't to beat the Phillies. Our motivation is to win the World Series."

While this back-and-forth banter won't mean a thing when the regular season begins, it does speak to a burgeoning rivalry between the Phillies and Mets. The two teams have rarely been good at the same time since the Mets' inception in 1962. This year, however, they have a chance to engage in a legitimate pennant race. Both teams could also make the playoffs, though they'll have to address some issues first.

The Phillies' biggest concern is a bullpen with only one sure thing, closer Tom Gordon. The Mets have a shaky rotation, with elder statesmen Tom Glavine and Orlando Hernandez ahead of several young, unproven arms.

The Phillies and Mets still have five weeks of spring training to sort through their issues. They then play each other five times in the season's first two weeks. Let the fun continue.

With pitchers throwing live batting practice for the first time this spring, Wednesday morning was a good time to stroll among the four fields at the Carpenter Complex. Temperatures in the low-70s and a slight breeze didn't hurt, either.

The live batting practice sessions are more for the pitchers to work on their repertoires than for the hitters to work on their timing. It was common Wednesday to see a hitter stand in the box and take several pitches without a swing.

I had a chance to watch Jon Lieber, Antonio Alfonseca, Joe Bisenius and Kyle Drabek throw. Jamie Moyer was also among the pitchers to take part in Wednesday's sessions.

So who impressed manager Charlie Manuel, who spent time bouncing between the different fields?

"Alfonseca," Manuel said. "He had a good sinker. He was putting the ball where he wanted. I kind of liked him to today. Lieber looked OK. He did look pretty good. Jamie Moyer looked the same."

Alfonseca seemed to be throwing hard when I watched him. If the Phillies can get a good season out of him, their bullpen worries will shrink significantly.

Well, it's time to finish two stories for Thursday's paper, including one on the battle for the starting job at third base. Check back for more later.

Phillies public relations czar Larry Shenk said Tuesday's crowd at the Carpenter Complex was the largest he had seen for an opening full-squad workout since the 1980s. Jimmy Rollins said the Phillies' coaching staff, which includes new members Davey Lopes, Jimy Williams and Steve Smith, had run him through tougher drills than in seasons past. The temperature on the Bright House Networks Field scoreboard even crept above 70 degrees.

Without a doubt, Tuesday's first full-squad workout of 2007 had a different feel to it.

It's clear that people want to see this team. Fans filled the bleachers behind Mike Schmidt Field to watch Ryan Howard, Chase Utley and Jimmy Rollins, the Phillies' star infielders, take batting practice.

It's also clear the Phillies are brimming with confidence. Rollins held a press conference today where he again claimed the Phillies are the team to beat in the National League East.

"I don't think you can get any more sure about it than I was when all the trading was done," Rollins said. "It's a lot of fun being here today. It's a little different, especially not seeing Bobby [Abreu] across the way [in the clubhouse], but everybody's here. We're having fun already and we're acting like a team that knows it's going to win and not one that's guessing our way through spring training and through the season."

For more on what Rollins had to say at his press conference, check Wednesday's print and online editions of The Morning Call. You can bet the rest of the teams in the NL East, especially the reigning division champion Mets, will catch wind of Rollins' words by then.

Now, onto a few other notes from Tuesday:

* Manager Charlie Manuel spoke to the full team for the first time Tuesday, emphasizing the need to play well for the first 4-6 weeks of the season. The Phillies play 22 of their first 28 games within the division, and Manuel doesn't want them falling behind again. They went 10-14 in each of the past two Aprils, contributing to their failed playoff runs.

* Infielder Danny Sandoval is the only player yet to report to camp. Visa troubles are keeping him in Venezuela, and Manuel said it could be 2-3 days before Sandoval arrives. He is a long-shot to make the team.

* Phillies pitchers will throw batting practice for the first time Wednesday morning.

It's one of the hot topics for spring training and the 2007 season -- how will Red Sox right-hander Daisuke Matsuzaka fare after coming to America from Japan? Just find, according to outfielder Karim Garcia, who is in Phillies camp as a non-roster invitee.

Garcia, who arrived in Phillies camp Monday, spent the past two years playing in Japan for the Orix Buffaloes. The Buffaloes are a member of Japan's Pacific League, where Matsuzaka starred for the Seibu Lions before the Red Sox won the rights to him this offseason.

Garcia said he thought Matsuzaka would be very successful in the majors after offering this scouting report.

"He can throw every pitch for a strike," Garcia said. "I know he throws five pitches. We played in the same league, so I unfortunately had to face his team at least 19 times a year. He throws 7-8 innings, strong arm, is very competitive. He doesn't give you too much to hit."

The Phillies don't play the Red Sox during the regular season this year, but the teams will face each other five times during spring training. Perhaps Garcia and the rest of the Phillies will get a chance to see Matsuzaka's much-discussed "gyroball."

With the Phillies set to hold their first full-squad workout Tuesday, the clubhouse at Bright House Networks Field continues to fill up.

Shortstop Jimmy Rollins arrived this morning, putting all of the projected members of the everyday lineup in camp. Infielder Abraham Nunez, who could compete with Wes Helms for playing time at third base, outfielders Jayson Werth and Karim Garcia, and infielder Randall Simon also made their initial appearances in the clubhouse.

The new arrivals picked a good time to show up. After several days of unseasonable cold in Clearwater -- the high temperature the past four days stayed below 60 degrees -- the weather has taken a turn for the better. Temperatures today have already hit the mid-50s and are supposed to peak in the mid-60s. It's supposed to return to the 70s Tuesday and stay there for a while.

The weather isn't the only noticeable change this morning. The Phillies also are prepping Bright House Networks Field for the start of spring training games. Workers have spent the morning installing new seats in several sections of stands along the third-base line.

The Phillies have less than two weeks to get Bright House Networks Field ready to go. They will host an exhibition game against Florida State on Feb. 28, with their first home spring training game scheduled for March 2 against the Indians.

Three days, two canceled flights and one snow/ice storm later than planned, I've finally arrived in Clearwater, Fla., for Phillies spring training. It's a good thing, too. Had I been stuck in the Lehigh Valley one more day, I would have missed Ryan Howard's press conference Sunday afternoon.

Howard, the reigning National League MVP, spent nearly a half-hour answering questions in the lunch room at Bright House Networks Field. Here are a few notes that didn't fit into my feature on Howard, which will appear Monday in The Morning Call and on www.mcall.com.

* When asked about what moments stuck out from the 2006 season, Howard recalled three games.

1. A 4-2 win over the Marlins on April 23 in which he hit two homers, including one over the brick batter's eye behind the center-field fence at Citizens Bank Park.

2. A 9-7 loss to the Yankees on June 20 in which he hit two homers and drove in all seven Phillies runs. The first of those homers traveled an estimated 461 feet and became the first ball to land in the third deck at Citizens Bank Park.

3. An 8-7 win over the Braves on Sept. 3 in which he hit three home runs, all off Atlanta starter Tim Hudson.

* Howard said he gained a new appreciation for actors and actresses after his small spot in an NFL Network commercial that aired during the Super Bowl.

"I don't know how they do it," Howard said. "It's take after take after take. It's like a couple hours just to shoot 30 seconds."

You can check out the ad here. Howard is chopping mushrooms in the background of a scene that included Martha Stewart, LL Cool J, and Reggie Bush.

While Howard dominated the day, here are a few other notes from Sunday.

* Third baseman Wes Helms and outfielder Shane Victorino made their first appearances of the spring. Shortstop Jimmy Rollins is the lone regular yet to appear. Position players aren't required to report until Tuesday.

* Three players expected to battle for bench jobs -- Jayson Werth, Karim Garcia and Randall Simon -- have yet to arrive. Phils manager Charlie Manuel said he wasn't worried about their absence as long as they show up by the required reporting date.

* The first full-squad workout is scheduled for Tuesday.

That's all until Monday, when the position players will take their physicals.

When pitchers and catchers report for their first spring-training workout Thursday, the 2007 season will begin to take shape. At some point later this week -- the winter weather has complicated my travel plans to Florida -- I'll be taking a look at the opening week of camp both online and in print.

Until then, here's a story from Wednesday's paper on what developments to track in Clearwater over the next six weeks. You can also check mcall.com under the Phillies/MLB section for more baseball information.